Co-founder of Spokane's new shelter revealed to have embezzled from previous employer
On Monday morning, City Councilman Mike Fagan says, he came to work to find an envelope with his name misspelled on the outside, and two documents on the inside. One document was the articles of incorporation listing Jason Green as the co-founder for Jewels Helping Hands, the organization the city chose to lead its newest warming shelter.
The other was a 2015 press release from the FBI, detailing Green's part in a 2009-10 embezzlement scheme. According to the FBI, Green and a friend stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from Green's employer, U.S. Foodservice, including by approving expenditures for work that was never done and falsifying accounting records.
In light of the revelation, Fagan argued the decision to award the warming shelter contract to Jewels Helping Hands — instead of the much more experienced Salvation Army — was particularly suspicious.
"My heart tells me the council failed, and the administration failed also," Fagan says.
But Green tells the Inlander that the reason why Jewels was awarded the contract was simple: Jewels promised they could run the warming center for much less money and get started much faster. Green says he will be doing accounting work for Jewels' with the city contract, including processing receipts and payroll, but also says there are multiple levels of scrutiny his accounting will go through.
Read more: https://www.inlander.com/spokane/co-founder-of-the-citys-new-shelter-revealed-to-have-embezzled-from-previous-employer/Content?oid=18537869
(Spokane Inlander)
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Rock thrown through window of Jewel's Helping Hands founders home
A racist note was wrapped around the rock.
SPOKANE, Wash. — In the midst of a standoff between Jewels Helping Hands and the city of Spokane, a rock with a racist note wrapped around it was thrown through the window of the nonprofit founder's home on Friday evening.
Currently, Jewel's Helping Hands, or JHH, is refusing to vacate the South Cannon warming center against the city's Friday afternoon request. The city asked the charity to leave while it carries out an investigation on a staff member of the nonprofit.
JHH was picked to run the center, but recent allegations and the criminal past of one of the organizations' founders and an investigation into another led to the city asking the organization to temporarily vacate the building.
According to Julie Garcia, co-founder of JHH, she and her grandchildren were home when the rock hit the window.
Read more: https://www.krem.com/article/news/jewels-founders-target-of-attack-on-home/293-dbca79ce-cd38-4f0a-bfad-a467db7cb0cc